My red-footed barely eats!

[Aubreyrene13]

Me and my boyfriend found him in a house people were moving out of, he had been in a closet with a bluray player on top of him for at least three weeks. We have had him about three months now and he still barely eats and is always burying himself under his dirt. I am worried, I literally have to dig him out and make him eat. Any tips he is our first!

 

[junebugsmom]

Some of the more experienced keepers here should be able to help. You might want to provide some more information on the temperatures, humidity, what you're feeding him etc

 

[Anyfoot]

View attachment 166161 View attachment 166162 Me and my boyfriend found him in a house people were moving out of, he had been in a closet with a bluray player on top of him for at least three weeks. We have had him about three months now and he still barely eats and is always burying himself under his dirt. I am worried, I literally have to dig him out and make him eat. Any tips he is our first!

It's not a redfoot. I'm no expert, but looks like a box turtle.

 

[Anyfoot]

@tortadise
@Tom
@cdmay
@Yvonne G
@anyone.

May be able to help.

One of these days someone will join with the name 'anyone' .

Welcome BTW.

 

[cdmay]

Um, I'm pretty sure that's a box turtle.
In which case it probably wants to be hibernating right now

 

[Taylor T.]

Yes, that's definitely a box turtle. does he have a UVB bulb? What are the temperatures of his enclosure? What do you feed him? any and all of these things could be the cause of his inactivity.

 

[lisa127]

That is a beautiful box turtle. Looks to be a three toed. We need to know the temperatures of his enclosure. Also I'm not sure what you ha e been offering since you thought he was a redfoot. Try getting g some nightcrawlers. They love those. They don't getting into greens as much as redfoots. You can try springmix. Shredded carrots and squash, cooked sweet potato, berries, chopped apple, nightcrawlers, mealworms, superworms, cooked plain chicken. 50% of the diet should be protein.

 

[cdmay]

That is a beautiful box turtle. Looks to be a three toed. We need to know the temperatures of his enclosure. Also I'm not sure what you ha e been offering since you thought he was a redfoot. Try getting g some nightcrawlers. They love those. They don't getting into greens as much as redfoots. You can try springmix. Shredded carrots and squash, cooked sweet potato, berries, chopped apple, nightcrawlers, mealworms, superworms, cooked plain chicken. 50% of the diet should be protein.

Ditto

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Your newfound turtle is a three toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis). They mainly eat living things like worms, crickets, pinky mice, etc. I chop up some fruits and veggies then add some live food on top of the pile.

Also, your light is up too high. Have you measured the temperature all over the floor of the habitat? Turtles and tortoises have to be able to warm up their core temperature to at least 80F degrees or their food won't digest. So if he's not warm enough, he won't eat.

Here's a link to a helpful article:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/box-turtle-wont-eat.42397/

 

[Redstrike]

I know you're getting a lot of information thrown at you currently, but I'd add that a broad spectrum basking light rather than the red light would be an improvement for your rescued box turtle.

 

[lisa127]

I know you're getting a lot of information thrown at you currently, but I'd add that a broad spectrum basking light rather than the red light would be an improvement for your rescued box turtle.

I can tell figure out where the red is coming from. If you look at the light on the tank in the first picture, it's not red.

 

[amandamb]

I have to agree with everyone. If he is not warm enough he won't eat. Check your temps. It is for sure a box turtle. I have seen turtle that have been neglected as far as their diet goes. So because he was a recsue and you don't know about his diet be sure to try everything under the sun if at first he doesn't take what you offer. One box turtle might like everything offered but one that has been neglected needs time to adjust.